The month of January saw little in the way of weather drama. Temperatures definitely trended toward the warm side though and while the month’s snowfall came it close to normal, we head into March with a seasonal deficit.

New Year’s Day started the month off cold but then we began a warming trend that saw average temperatures dominantly above normal for the first two weeks of the month. Precipitation was almost entirely absent during the period other than a bit of rain on the 10th.

On the 15th conditions like we expect in January returned – but only for two days. A quick, light shot of snow arrived and temperatures cooled to below normal.

We then returned to largely warmer than normal conditions until the 21st when we got not only our biggest snow of the month, but our biggest of the season so far. Sadly, that was only 4.9 inches of the white stuff.

From there, eight of the last ten days of the month saw above normal temperatures and no precipitation.

Thornton’s average temperature for January 2018 came in at 32.9 degrees. Denver’s long term average for the month is 30.7 degrees. Out at the airport where the Mile High City’s official measurements are taken, it was considerably warmer with an average of 34.7 degrees.

Our high temperatures ranged from a high of 69.3 degrees on the 9th down to a low of 0 degrees on the morning of the 16th. DIA recorded highs of 68 degrees and a low of -4 degrees on those same dates.

On average, Denver receives 0.41 inches of liquid precipitation in January. Thornton was just a hair above that with 0.44 inches and Denver bested that with 0.54 inches.

We recorded 6.1 inches of snow in Thornton during the month while the airport was just a bit higher with 6.4 inches. Both were short of Denver’s January average of 7.0 inches.

A bit of a mixed bag of weather for us today. Downslope winds will drive temperatures up however a cold front will move through this afternoon changing the flow to upslope and bringing chances for rain and snow.

We start out the day under mostly clear skies with breezy winds increasing in speed as the morning progresses. Temperatures will similarly be on the rise with our high of around 50 degrees coming around noon. Later in the afternoon the cold front arrives and that will send temperatures down.

Some isolated rain shower activity will be possible in the afternoon, primarily after about 2:00pm. This evening, precipitation will change to snow with light snow being possible throughout the night. Only minimal accumulations are expected, perhaps a half inch or so.

Thornton is set to enjoy a good looking three-day period. The first couple of days will feature above normal temps while a cold front cools things down a bit Sunday.

For Friday, we start out with some patchy fog but that shouldn’t last long. Once it clears, partly sunny skies will be above. Temps will top out in the mid-50s today with calm, dry conditions. Tonight, skies remain a bit obscured with lows near the freezing mark.

Saturday will, overall, be the nicest of the three days. Mostly sunny skies will be above with highs in the mid-50s. Some slightly breezy winds will be possible in the afternoon but nothing too intrusive. Overnight Saturday into Sunday lows dip to below freezing.

Early Sunday a cold front arrives but its main effect will only be to brings temps down to near normal. Mostly sunny skies should be above, conditions calm.

February in Colorado typically brings to an end an extended period when average temperatures are at their lowest. Winter begins to loosen its grip and temperatures get warmer but precipitation is not a particularly common event during the month.

Thus far our snow season has been relatively dismal with the seasonal total in Thornton more than 10 inches below average. In the high country, the snowpack is not faring much better. February is only our sixth snowiest month so we may not see much snowfall for the balance of the month.

Temperatures however do usually see a nice rebound during the month. Average high temperatures climb from an average of 44 degrees at the start to 50 degrees by the end of February.

Thornton received just a very light bit of snow overnight and we may see a few more flakes this morning. Later it will begin to clear but temps will remain chilly.

The day starts with cloudy skies and a little bit of light snow. Some heavier bands of the white stuff are being seen not too far north of us as of this writing but we are not expecting that to move far enough south to hit Thornton.

Any snow should come to an end by mid-morning and then we will see gradually clearing skies. Temperatures will top out in the upper 30s.

Tonight, skies will be mostly cloudy with lows dipping well into the 20s.

As one of our coldest months, January can be a good month to hibernate inside and avoid the outdoors. But, like any month in Colorado, photo opportunities abound as our monthly slideshow demonstrates.

Snow is not normally dominant in the month but when it does fall, it can create a beautiful blanket of white. Throw in the amazing sunrises and sunsets we receive in the middle of winter as well as wildlife and a host of other subjects and the imagery can be quite beautiful and stunning.

Slideshow updated January 31, 2018

To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.

Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather-related imagery.

Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted in images captured from yours and our cameras.

What is missing in the slideshow above? Your photo!

Our monthly photo slideshow is going to feature images that we have taken but more importantly images that you have captured. The photos can be of anything even remotely weather-related.

Landscapes, current conditions, wildlife, pets, kids. Whimsical, newsy, artsy. Taken at the zoo, some other area attraction, a local park, a national park or your backyard. You name it, we want to see and share it!

Images can be taken in Thornton, Denver or anywhere across the extraordinary Centennial State. We’ll even take some from out of state if we can tie it to Colorado somehow.

We’ll keep the criteria very open to interpretation with just about any image eligible to be shown in our slideshows.

What do you win for having your image in our slideshow? We are just a ‘mom and pop’ outfit and make no money from our site so we really don’t have the means to provide prizes. However you will have our undying gratitude and the satisfaction that your images are shared on the most popular website in Thornton.

To share you images with us and get them included in the slideshow just email them to us or share them with ThorntonWeather.com on any of the various social media outlets. Links are provided below.

Just in case you missed it, our west-facing weather webcam happened to catch the “super blood blue moon.” Certainly it isn’t as good as witnessing it in person but it does provide a cool look. You can see the shadow of the Earth clearly obscuring the moon as the event progresses. View full screen for the best view.

If you captured images of the celestial event, please share them with us so we can add them to our January slideshow.

A bit of a change in the weather as a back door cold front moves in. That will serve to bring cooler temperatures to Thornton and tonight we may see some freezing drizzle with snow tomorrow AM.

The day starts out with partly sunny skies. Clouds will increase in the late afternoon as the system works its way closer. Winds will be out of the north and a bit breezy at times. Temperatures start out chilly then will warm to around the 50 degree mark.

Late evening brings slight chances for precipitation, likely in the form of freezing drizzle if it materializes.

Drizzle will be possible until early Thursday morning when some snow may get mixed in. Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of moisture with this system so are not expecting much out of it.

Some good, some not-so-good in today’s weather forecast. While we will enjoy unseasonably warm temperatures, we will also have a good bit of cloud cover and some breezy and gusty downslope winds.

The day starts with partly clear skies and we can expect similar sky conditions above throughout the day as a decent wave cloud develops. Winds out of the southwest will be breezy with gusts to 25mph will be possible in our area, higher as you get closer to the foothills. The one benefit of those warming, downslope winds is that they will help to drive the mercury to the low 60s.

Tonight, partly clear skies will be above with lows dipping to at, perhaps a bit below, the freezing mark.

If you’re planning on catching the lunar eclipse tomorrow AM, that cloud cover could probe to be problematic. Right now we are thinking there could be 50 to 60% cloud coverage during the event.

This is a nice way to go back to work. Monday will bring us temps a good ways above normal and calm, dry conditions.

The day starts off under mostly sunny skies and similar conditions above will be with us throughout the day but with a few more clouds in the afternoon. Winds will be relatively light and out of the southwest. Temperatures start out on the chilly side but once the sun comes up will begin a steady rise with highs in the mid-50s.

Tonight, a good bit of cloud cover will be above with overnight lows dipping to around 30 degrees.